With the credit crunch now upon us, JSTFinancial.co.uk, has worked in tandem with our retailers to bring you the best online deals and special offers. We have compiled out top tips to help you save precious pounds without compromising on quality.
1. Use price comparison websites to make sure you are getting the best deal. Use shopbots or shopping robots to help you find your item. They are easy to use, take a matter of seconds and can help you save as much as 30% a year on your shopping. The three main sites are Pricerunner; Shopping.com and Kelkoo.
2. Always remember the delivery charge and try and order from the same site. Delivery charges are usually per delivery, regardless of how many items that you order. It therefore makes sense to order as much as you can from the same retailer.
3. Try and use a cashback site such as Topcashback or Quidco. These cashback sites pay you extra cashback for ordering through them. If you wished to buy something from Play.com, through such sites, then you will get the same items, for the same price but also receive up to as much as 10% cashback on top!
4. Buying from overseas is often much cheaper. The internet has worldwide appeal, and so this means that you can take advantage, and order directly from the country of origin, as opposed to wait for a UK or European supplier to ship it, and therefore inflate the costs. Remember that delivery and shipping costs need to be considered, but even with these, it is still often much cheaper.
5. Use a credit card to shop. This may seem like quite a mad thing to suggest, but it really does have its advantages. Under section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act, all purchases over £100 are insured by the credit card company as well as the retailer. This is really for peace of mind, if you are concerned about shopping overseas, or even shopping on the internet. Should anything go wrong, then you have the extra protection, should you get no joy from the retailer.
6. Find the best cashback credit cards and shop until you drop!!!!!! Let JSTFinancial.co.uk help search the market and find the best cashback card for you. Some cards offer up to 3% cashback, and providing you manage the account correctly, this can save you money.
7. Ebay can offer massive savings on goods. It is always worth checking to see if they have the item that you want.
8. Negotiate with the retailer. If you don’t ask you don’t get. Explain that the item is cheaper online, as most retailers nowadays offer a ‘pricematch’.
9. Be aware of online bargains. Nowadays, even the same retailer seems to have different items available online as opposed to the shop. Always check online for your product with that retailer, and if it’s not available, try tip (8) above. Print off the page and take it into the store. You never know it may just work!!!!!!!
10. Use discount vouchers and codes. Retailers use these a lot to encourage you into their shops, and they are often printed in the newspapers or again can be found online.